Choices | calum hood & luke hemmings ✔️

eight

luke

My arm has healed. My ribs too.

I'm getting released today. I don't leave bed much because nurses say that I need to get as much rest so I can to recover. I love staying in bed usually, but it gets really boring extremely fast now. The hospital plays the same movies over and over again, and I've gotten sick of them. I like Disney movies, I really do, but when you watch High School Musical three times a day, it takes a toll on you.

I've done this. I've done that. It's all done. I've done everything that could possibly cure my boredom. I'm out of ideas. However, I do try to move around when I can.

Finally after about two weeks, I can move and breathe freely without anything hurting. I've actually been counting the thirty-two days I stayed in the hospital since my collarbone healed.

Everyone's been catching up on sleep. They visit Alex and I try to as well on my less painful days. Now since I'm being released, we all get to stay in her room. The others have been updating me about Alex; all the way from the beginning of the bus crash.

Andy told me about Alex's injuries in between bites of her granola bar. Michael has been telling me she hasn't stopped eating granola bars since she knew about the comas. She eats boxes of them. At least three a week.

"She basically lives on them," Mikey told me when the subject was brought up in our conversation once. Andy cut down since they were informed that I was alright, he added.

I remember the relief on their faces on the fifth day when they were allowed to visit my room. It felt amazing to see their faces finally. My room was getting lonely after five days of seeing the same nurses and doctors.

Madi tells me all about Alex in her coma. Her back is healing really well so that's a good thing. Her leg is taking a while but I'm glad to hear the news. They told me that the nurses removed a couple of machines. I guess Alex doesn't need them anymore. That's a good sign.

Madi is the only one who talks to me a lot. Everyone else is a bit... distant. You could say, I guess. They're all probably still in shock and doesn't know what to say to each other. There isn't much to say these days except that they all hope for Alexandra to wake up.

Calum is extremely distant compared to everyone else. He hasn't said a word, unlike the others, and he doesn't move from his spot most of the time. He's always by Alex's side, either sleeping or writing. He is sometimes on his phone to text, but Calum doesn't do much on his phone.

I caught him looking through his photos and I swear I saw a tear running down his face. I'd ask Calum if he's okay and he would just nod. Most of the time he leaves the room after I ask. I don't know what's wrong with him but it worries me.

This isn't Calum at all. He'd try to lighten up the mood and get us to do things to get our minds on something else. Maybe he doesn't like me anymore.

I talked to Madi about Calum while he slept and she said, "It's been hard for him. He's been like this ever since he found out about the coma." I frowned at what she said. It's been hard for him? What does she mean by that?

"Just don't take it personally, alright?" Madi says assuringly and pats my shoulder softly. I nod before agreeing with her.

We make our way into Alex's hospital room. I noticed more chairs were added, which is robably due to our big group. Everyone was there for my release except for Calum. I found him sleeping on the chair next to Alex's bed. Pens were scattered across the bedside table and his notebook was on top of most of them.

I've gotten used to seeing Alex this way. You know, seeing her with tubes and wires connected to her. That's how I was for the first week. Well, not as bad. She has wires everywhere and they were only connected to about four different machines.

I sat in my usual chair. The one next to Alex's bed and across Calum. I remember when I first visited her. It was slightly heartbreaking but it was replaced by hope that she'll wake up. I spoke to her once when everyone else was eating downstairs.

I leaned over and held her hand. "Hi Alex," I whispered and I thought I felt her fingertips move. Maybe it's just me hallucinating. I heard that Calum experiences the same paranoia as well. He blames it on staying inside the hospital for too long. I agree.

"Please wake up soon." I beg while brushing my thumb over her knuckles.

calum

day 45

I still can't believe Luke is discharged. It just made me miss Alex even more, but it also increased the hope that I have. If he can heal, so can Alexandra.

I made a mistake by looking at my pictures in my phone one day. I scrolled through some with Alex and all the memories came back, once again. It hurt so much that I couldn't even get out of the room to support Luke during his discharge. I know he kind of wanted all of us to be there.

Luke asks me if I'm okay sometimes. Of course, I'm not. No one is. Alex is in freaking a coma and he has a nerve to ask me if I'm okay? What the hell?

Well, I guess I shouldn't be so hard on him though. He spent at least thirty days not being able to see the girl.

I caught him once talking to her all smiley and all. I can't believe he's all happy about this. Like how are you happy about someone being in a coma?

Again, he didn't see her all this time, my subconscious drills in my mind and I sigh at his morals. Why is he always right.

My point is- I not only caught him talking to her but I saw him holding her hand. That was what made me mad. I completely forgot about that. He had a thing for Alex, too.

I guess that I was so caught up in her that I forgot about my competi- my friend and bandmate.

I try to act calm around Luke, for Alex's sake. I know she would be furious if I fought with Luke again. I remember that time I fought with Luke over her. He wanted to ask her on a date and the next thing I knew I was punching him. My mistake was that I was so caught up in myself that I didn't even see Alex jumping in front my punch, making me hit her square in the jaw.

I've always wondered why she jumped in front of Luke to take the punch, but I can't ask her now. She's in a freaking coma!

When he tries to talk to me, I fail at being calm and I have to think of that moment of us fighting. I have to literally exit the room so I don't beat up his pretty little face. He could've stopped Alex from coming in the middle of us.

I continue to write letters, though. They seem to help me get through this. I sit by Alex's bed waiting and hoping she'll wake up. I hold her hand wanting her to squeeze mine back.

I don't think this is healthy missing someone this much.

\\ //

I've done so much research on comas and injuries for this book omg but I'll do anything for this book.. That's how special y'all are. (Not gonna lie I just wrote this at like 1 am so I'm sorry if it sucks)

sorry again if it's short but the next chapter is an exciting one! :))))
-H <3

*Edited 6/9/18 ok so i know that Calum is kind of confusing at times but just to be clear, he's having a mental battle with himself and how he should act towards everyone. Basically, he's lost without Alex*